Analysis of Microbial Biofilms in Peripheral Venous Catheters and Their Implication in Infectious Risk

Peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) are the most commonly used intravascular medical devices in healthcare establishments. In the 2022 national survey on the prevalence of nosocomial infections (NI), out of 151676 patients included, 22.45% had a peripheral venous catheter. Moreover, patients exposed to a PVC are 3 times more likely to suffer a nosocomial infection. Between 2019 and 2023, at national level, there was a significant increase in the proportion of PVC-related bloodstream infection. The pathophysiological mechanisms of catheter-related infections are mainly linked to contamination via the endoluminal route, through manipulations of connectors during perfusion connections, or via the extraluminal route, which is more likely to be associated with faulty catheter placement practices. Finally, even in patients with no clinical signs of infection, culture-negative PVCs show intra- and extra-luminal colonization. This underscores our lack of understanding of the mechanisms that can lead from simple colonization of the equipment to localized catheter infection or even bacteraemia. The main objective of this project is to identify the major factors involved in the occurrence of bacterial infections related to the colonization of peripheral venous catheters. To investigate these mechanisms, the study will focus on the collection of PVCs after clinical removal, followed by molecular and super-resolution microscopy analyses. Catheters either removed by the care team, because they are no longer clinically relevant or for medical reasons, will be collected under aseptic conditions.